All I want to be...is Free!

juststuff123

Hi MSE family,

I’m a bit late in posting this month. I’ve just got back from Holiday. I went with the family to St Lucia. It was beautiful, I did all the standard Tourist spots and went Zip lining. And a coconut fell from a tree and hit me on the head! What are the chances? No damage done though. I spent quite a bit of money on activities, eating out souvenirs etc. and all the prep, haircut, eye lash tint etc. But it was my first proper holiday on 5 yrs so I thought I’d treat myself a little. I’ll knuckle back under this month. It was great not to have to think about work for a while. I’ve only been working a couple of mornings a week this month with the rest of the time working from home. It’s been good to reduce the stress a little.

I did a contortion workshop at the beginning of the month. It was brutal and I’ve signed up to do another hoop course this one is a tricks and combo’s class rather than a routine class. I’m looking forward to it.

My HSBC and Santander Regular savers finished last month so I’ve set up new ones. I still haven’t decided what to do with the money in the BOS accounts when the interest rates drop next month.
I can’t think of anything else to say, either that’s it for the month or more likely I’m suffering from Jet lag. Anyway at least it’s a short one!

See you at the end of the month!

My updated signature

NEW GOAL – Mortgage Balance £0k & £40k Savings by Feb 2019
MORTGAGE: – £41001 / £0
SAVINGS: – £52589 / £40000
CREDIT CARD: – £4677 / £0

COMPLETE - MFW & DFW - Goal - Debt Neutral – COMPLETE

juststuff123

Hello Fellow MSEers

May feels like it’s been a long slow month. I’m still only working a couple of mornings per week, then from home the rest of the week. The flat painting is underway, I’ve been able help out a bit. They look much better, though now the floors really stand out as shabby! Well I’ll put those on the list!

I change my maintenance fee standing order so that in June the balance for the year (ending March) will be taken in one go, so my figures next month will look down, but it will even up over the rest of the year. I did this so we have enough money in the communal pot to get a few other maintenance jobs done on the sheds and garages, while I can get them done cheap by a trusted handyman.

I’m back doing Hoop classes for a few weeks. This is a tricks and combos class so I don’t have to remember a routine

I bought tickets to see to Alice in wonderland & Midsummer Night’s Dream at an outdoor theatre in some gardens near my home. They aren’t until July & August, but I’m looking forward to them. I bought myself a picnic backpack for the occasion. I also bought myself a new shower and screen. Mine still worked but they were becoming tired and dated. I got a good deal; RRP for the shower £268, I paid £123 and the screen RRP was £181 I paid £60 + 1% cashback! I also bought my sister’s Christmas present and went to a Body Shop party, I ended up spending about £40 there, it’s a lot but you expect it when you go to these things. All in all, it’s been a
spendy month.

My free Hello Fresh meals came this month, I was actually very impressed. I wouldn’t get them every week, but once in a while I think I might.

I got the Ford money Isa Martin Lewis recommended in the weekly newsletter. I had planned to stop saving and start ploughing the money in to the mortgage, but I’m an addict, I see a regular saver and I have to have it! My salary now matches my regular saver outgoings every month!

The 0% runs out on my Credit card soon, I’ve been trying to choose a new one. I suppose it doesn’t really matter, they’re all much of a muchness.

Any Who see you next month!

My updated Signature:

NEW GOAL – Mortgage Balance £0k & £40k Savings by Feb 2019
MORTGAGE: – £40478 / £0
SAVINGS: – £53584 / £40000
CREDIT CARD: – £5620 / £0

COMPLETE - MFW & DFW - Goal - Debt Neutral – COMPLETE

juststuff123

Hey there folks,

I set up a new credit card 28 months @ 0%, then I cancelled 3 old (now unused) ones, and reduced the credit limit on a 4rd to tidy things up a bit. :A So now I have one card to use on holiday or spending in foreign currency and one every day 0% card I can stooze with. My credit score will probably take a bit of a hit, that’s why I opened the new credit card first, so my score has 2 years to go back up.

I messed up with my Nationwide regular saver so I closed the account and started again. :mad: I closed a few more unused Savings accounts. Removed the standing orders on my Tesco accounts (after checking first that they were no longer required to keep the 3% interest;). I closed my BOS accounts, paid off my credit card balance, opened a new M&S regular saver and paid an extra £3400 off on the mortgage.:A But I still have a dilemma, I still have too much money in my current accounts but I can’t decide whether to put even more into the mortgage or invest more in stocks & shares:think:… I know luxury problem right!!

I paid 10 months of my flat maintenance charge in one go this month (to help with some extra repairs) so my budget spreadsheet looks awful at the moment!:eek: It’ll even out over the year though.

I’m still working from home for most of the week. I went to see a recruitment specialist to get some direction and some ideas for what to do with my future. And I’ve had an idea for a small start-up business. I booked myself on to a day course to see if I’ve got what it takes to make it work. And I’ve got a meeting next month to help a friend (for free) so afterwards I’ll ask what she thought and whether she felt I was good enough to charge people. I’ve also been speaking with a CBT specialist to help me pull myself together.

I got a groupon deal with a friend to go to Rome for 3 nights in November – it was £200 and includes flights, hotel & breakfast. So that’s something to look forward to. Hopefully we’ll take a day trip down to Pompeii or Herculaneum. :j

I had a private Pole class this week, my first time back on the pole for almost a year. I was pretty chuffed with what I could still do even though I was a bit sore afterwards!:rotfl:

Anyway as usual here is my updated signature:

NEW GOAL – Mortgage Balance £0k & £40k Savings by Feb 2019
MORTGAGE: – £36555 / £0
SAVINGS: – £45666 / £40000
CREDIT CARD: – £148 / £0

See you next month…

Kittenkirst

Fab to see some new goals, sure with the determination shown for your previous goals you will smash these!

shangaijimmy

Have a look at P2P. I opened a funding circle account 12 months ago to put some cash in that we won't touch for a good 20 years. And i have to say its been great. So much so that i keep adding to it. Currently yielding 7% and had no issues with 'bad debt'. I only threw £500 in to start just to see and i've steadily increased it to £1200.

juststuff123

Thanks shangaijimmy, I have about £1100 in funding circle myself. So yes I could add a bit more to that...Something to think about.

juststuff123

Thanks for popping by Kittenkirst & Shangaijimmy!

It’s been a busy old month for me. I came to a decision about the extra money I mentioned in last month’s post. I decided to spread it around, £1000 off the mortgage, £1000 into funding circle & £2500 into 5 different investment funds.

I sorted my car insurance. I thought I was being organised and sorting it well in advance but I only had 14 days to provide proof of my no claims discount which won’t be issued until my current policy expires (longer than 14 days) So now I’m being chased and threatened with cancellation! Well I asked them to make a note on my file and hopefully It’ll work out. I was very disappointed though, the cheapest policy I could get; I couldn’t get cashback for; other policies were more expensive even with cashback but it does bother me to have to pay full price!

Our company hasn’t done very well this year so it doesn’t look like I’ll be getting a bonus this year. Certainly not this month. It means my new goals may well now be out of reach, but I’ll just have to tighten my belt a little bit and see what happens. They still haven’t told us what the new scheme will be either. The new directors just don’t seem to be able to make any decisions. We had an anonymous survey at work to find out why company morale was so low, as although I was the first to crack, a couple of others since me have gone off with stress and there are many others at breaking point. And the ineffective Directors was one of the points raised (among many others) They’ve been given the report so we’ll see if they actually do anything about it – I doubt it. I imagine the middle managers will pay the price for it.

I helped a friend with her home budgeting at the beginning of the month. I checked in on her a couple of weeks later and so far, so good. I’ve booked a day course in August about starting your own business. I’m looking into the potential of paid to help people learn how to budget to achieve their own goals. It might be a nice little side business, I’ll just have to see. I won’t really have any start-up expenses so if it doesn’t pan out it’s no great loss.

I went to see Midsummer Night’s Dream at an outdoor garden. It was wonderful & we had a picnic. There were only 4 actors so they each had several parts but it worked well and it was very funny with a bit of audience participation. I look forward to going back next year to see them again!

I went to an aerial arts show a couple of weeks ago, all the acts were impressive and varied. And the final act was a comedienne who came onto stage with Hat, Heels and nothing else!

An old friend came for a visit at the weekend we went to a local food festival & spent a day visiting a National Trust house/museum. It was a lovely time.

See y’all next month!

My Updated Signature:

NEW GOAL – Mortgage Balance £0k & £40k Savings by Feb 2019
MORTGAGE: – £35015 / £0
SAVINGS: – £45363 / £40000
CREDIT CARD: – £722 / £0

SuperSecretSquirrel

Nice update juststuff. I especially like the sound of your side business, good luck with that I also quite like the sound of that comedienne

juststuff123

Hi Gang,

Hey Squirrel glad to see you popping by....

It’s September already, where does the time go? So, let’s see what happened in the last month? Well, I found out I wouldn’t be getting a bonus this year. The company hasn’t done particularly well so it’s disappointing but understandable. I was told 3 years ago that this year (August 2017) I’d be getting a £2000 pay rise ‘set in stone’… they went back on their word and now it’s £1000 this year and £1000 next year. Again, I can almost understand it but what really tipped me over the edge was finding out about it less 3 weeks before payday. I’m not even sure if that’s legal? How can the directors be so incompetent?? Any way as a result of these setbacks I’ve had to review my goal and change it from £40k savings to £30k savings in Feb 2019.

I pre-paid my service and MOT last month for the work due this month. And transferred some money from my Home account to my new business account (for insurance etc) So my budget is looking very red at the moment! I did a start-up business course, the marketing section was really quite overwhelming, I had to put the whole idea on hold for a while whilst I let all the information sink in. I did but a card payment machine though.

I went to watch my friends in a pole show. All the acts were fantastic. And I went to see Alice in Wonderland at an outdoor theatre and picnic. It wasn’t very good – it was aimed at children but the picnic was nice.

My sister got engaged last month! Her ring is a real piece of bling. And even better; her fianc! bought it from someone who didn’t end up proposing so he got it for about 25% market value! I didn’t really want to be my younger sister’s bridesmaid, but I’m going to be a witness and at the moment my title is coordinator but I’m sure I can come up with something better. I’ve already bought my dress (30% off) I do have to get it shortened considerably though. They are having a small registry thing in May next year, but they’re having the proper party / ceremony next September. We’re going wedding dress shopping next week.

Any way I think that’s it for last month, I’ll see you guys next month

My updated signature
NEW GOAL – Mortgage Balance £0k & £30k Savings by Feb 2019
MORTGAGE: – £34480 / £0
SAVINGS: – £46391 / £30000
CREDIT CARD: – £1129 / £0

juststuff123

Hey Hey MSEers

I'm a bit late this month. September's been hectic. But I'll keep it brief this month.

I went to the local History festival - lots of different lectures in the evenings.

I was bridesmaid for a friends wedding - she was not well organised!! But she made it down the isle and seemed to enjoy the day so i'd call it a success!

I had my Car MOT & Service they called to say it failed on some minor things; they fixed them but forgot to charge me. Result!!

I started back at Hoop - a new class much closer to home. It's more expensive but it's a 10 min drive rather than 50 each way. I/m very sore today!

I'm back at work full time which means I must be a lot better.

I've done the bulk of my Christmas shopping already. Just a few small bits and bobs to go!

My trousers and scales have been conspiring against me so I'm on a diet. Lets hope I can be disciplined!!

Anyway that's it for this months folks. See you in a few weeks!

My updated signature
NEW GOAL – Mortgage Balance £0k & £30k Savings by Feb 2019
MORTGAGE: – £33942 / £0
SAVINGS: – £47387 / £30000
CREDIT CARD: – £1909 / £0